Acid–base balance
The body’s acid–base balance is a key factor in maintaining overall wellbeing and normal energy metabolism. We provide comprehensive information on how the body regulates its pH and how lifestyle choices can support this natural process. Our information package is intended for health-conscious consumers and wellbeing professionals. With the right information, we help you understand how your body works even better.
General information
Normal bodily function requires a balanced state in the tissues—in other words, homeostasis. The composition of cells must remain within the limits characteristic of the species for them to function normally. The balance of the tissues is regulated particularly by fluid, electrolyte and salt balance. Acid–base balance is an essential part of all these processes, helping to maintain the body’s normal functions.
Measuring the body's acid–base balance
The acid–base balance theory
Different acids – inorganic and organic acidsThe movement of acids – where do acids go?Health and food – are acid stores a threat to health?The three acid-formersBases and nutritionTherapeutic dietsHealing crisisWhat are acid–base balance and tissue respiration?The body's pH values
Our vital functions are maintained by an enzyme system
Enzymes are proteins, and there are thousands of different kinds for a wide range of functions. Enzymes work only within a specific range of acidity. This brings us to the concept of pH, which is difficult for a layperson to understand by definition: the negative logarithm of the hydrogen-ion concentration.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. All values below 7 are acidic, while all values above 7 are alkaline. A value of 7 represents a neutral state—neither acidic nor alkaline. The most acidic value is 0 and the most alkaline is 14. The pH of the stomach is 1–1.5, making it highly acidic. The optimum pH for the enzymes in our body is 7–8, very close to neutral and within a very narrow range.
The body works hard to keep its acidity constant under all circumstances. The acidity of arterial blood varies by only hundredths of a pH unit, between 7.35 and 7.45. This is the normal range, with only a narrow margin for movement in either the acidic or alkaline direction. If the pH falls by, for example, three-tenths of a unit (0.3), to 7.0, we are in mortal danger. The same is true if it rises above 7.8.
When it comes to the body's fluids, the situation is not straightforward. The body's fluids can be divided into intracellular and extracellular fluids and blood. Extracellular fluids make up the smaller volume of fluid.
Intracellular pH differs slightly from that of arterial blood; it has been difficult to measure. Based on current knowledge, blood pH remains almost constant thanks to the body's various buffer systems. Its hydrogen ion concentration is slightly on the alkaline side.
Most of the body's fluids are intracellular. Cell fluids are fairly acidic, with a pH of approximately 5. Intracellular properties are extremely difficult to study, and the pH value is also only approximate.
The body’s buffer systems
Many metabolic processes constantly seek to alter the balance. The body has protective substances known as buffers. The most important is the haemoglobin in red blood cells, in which hydrogen may be either free or bound. When an acidic substance containing free hydrogen enters the body, the buffer system can bind the excess hydrogen to haemoglobin, thereby reducing the amount of hydrogen ions in the blood. Valmarin helps the body maintain the correct acid–base balance.
Terms relating to acid–base balance disorders
Acidosis means excessive acidity and occurs in two forms. Metabolic acidosis can arise, for example, in untreated diabetes. Acidosis can also develop in kidney disease through various mechanisms. During strenuous muscular activity, very high lactic acid production may initially lead to acidosis even in a healthy person, although the body can quickly correct it through other mechanisms. Similar disturbances occur during starvation. The other form is so-called respiratory acidosis, which is associated with breathing.
The opposite condition, alkalosis, or excessive alkalinity, also occurs in two forms. Metabolic alkalosis occurs in certain disorders of liver and kidney function.
The body’s pH balance is vital
The body strives to keep blood pH strictly between 7.35 and 7.45; even small deviations can impair metabolism and cell function.
Excess acidity is common
Most people's bodies are over-oxidised, which may be caused by factors such as stress, an unhealthy diet and environmental strain.
The effect of diet
Eating plenty of vegetables, fruit and berries supports alkalinity. Excessive animal protein and processed food can increase the acid load.
Measuring the body's acid–base balance
The most common method is to determine the acidity of urine. This provides some indication of whether there are too many acids or alkaline substances in the body. The formation of ammonium complicates the picture. If the diet has continuously produced an excess of acids, the kidneys will continue producing ammonium long after the diet has changed. In this situation, the body develops an excess of alkaline substances requiring neutralisation, and the excreted urine may give a misleading impression of alkalinity. Determining urine acidity provides only an approximate indication of the body's current state. It does not show the amount of acid stored in the body.
The body's acidity changes slowly
At present, there is no reliable method for determining the body’s acid reserves. However, dietary changes have shown that urine remains acidic for about six months after switching to an alkaline diet, if the previous diet was highly acid-forming and the body’s presumed acid reserves were large. In all likelihood, the acidity of the urine is then caused by acids released from these reserves. The body is therefore capable of storing considerable amounts of acidic substances, even though blood pH remains unchanged.
How can you tell whether your diet is balanced?
The easiest way is to measure urine pH with litmus paper from time to time. A neutral or slightly acidic reaction indicates that the diet has been balanced for a longer period. If the litmus reaction is strongly acidic, this may indicate either substantial acid stores in the body or a temporary dietary imbalance.
Studies have found that morning urine is almost invariably acidic in nearly all Westerners. It should be remembered that there is no scientific evidence showing which level of acidity guarantees the best health. An alkaline morning urine reaction is observed only rarely, and then only in strict vegetarians.
The acid–base balance theory
What is meant by an acid-forming or alkaline-forming food?
History
The Swedish physician Dr Ragnar Berg can be regarded as the founder of acid–base balance theory. Before the Second World War, he worked as a researcher in Germany for over 40 years. In addition to acid–base theory, his research also thoroughly examined mineral metabolism. Unfortunately, bombing during the Second World War destroyed most of Ragnar Berg’s unpublished research results, including much of the material concerning acid–base theory. The best-known figures who studied and supported Ragnar Berg’s acid–base theory include Are Waerland and the Swedish professor Olov Lindahl, who worked with Dr Berg for several years.
Nutritional science teaches that there are six types of nutrients:
Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, as well as water. When carbohydrates, fats or proteins are used as sources of energy in the body's metabolism, the end products are water and carbon dioxide.
In his research, Ragnar Berg also demonstrated that some foods produce acids as end products of metabolism, while others produce bases.
Daily food can be divided into three groups
The body immediately gets rid of acidic carbon dioxide through breathing. Exhaled air contains plenty of carbon dioxide.
Protein metabolism produces not only water and carbon dioxide, but also other inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid... We cannot get rid of these by breathing. The kidneys are responsible for neutralising inorganic acids; the acids are excreted through the kidneys in the urine, either unchanged or converted into other substances, to the extent that kidney function allows without exceeding their capacity.
In addition to acid-forming foods, our diet also contains plenty of different minerals and trace elements.
Minerals are either acid-forming or alkaline by nature.
Acid-forming foods do not mean substances that produce carbon dioxide or certain weak organic acids during metabolism, but foods that produce strong inorganic acids and minerals that cause an acidic reaction.
All foods produce varying amounts of acid or base as the end products of metabolism.
For the body to function normally, it needs both acid-forming and alkaline-forming foods, ideally in as natural a form as possible. Unfortunately, modern nutrition—even the special diets used in hospitals and for the care of patients—primarily produces acidic metabolic end products in the body.
Most foods consumed as part of a mixed diet form acids, including fish, meat, eggs, cheese and pulses, as well as most cereals. Most raw vegetables, fresh juices, green leafy vegetables, potatoes, root vegetables, berries and fruit form alkaline substances.
Acids and bases react with each other, neutralising one another.
For the body to maintain its acid–base balance, daily food intake should contain seven times more alkaline-forming than acid-forming foods.
Those following a lacto-vegetarian diet can easily make their diet more alkaline by reducing their intake of grain products and pulses. People who eat a mixed diet and want to switch to a more alkaline diet must follow Ragnar Berg’s guidelines even more carefully: eat 5...7 times more vegetables and potatoes than meat, fish, bread and eggs. This is difficult to achieve on a Western diet, which is why balancing Valmarin is needed.
Different acids – inorganic and organic acids
“Acids” can be divided into two different groups, whose effects are also completely different. These are organic and inorganic acids.
Inorganic acids
The most important inorganic acids are formed from albumin, or proteins. Acids are formed from proteins of both animal and plant origin as they break down during metabolic processes.
The second group of acids consists of mineral acids. The best-known are hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and nitric acid. Uric acid is formed in the body as a result of metabolism. Inorganic acids that the body does not need are eliminated as various salts, including uric acid salts, formed when acids combine with different alkaline minerals (potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium).
Organic acids
Organic acids include fruit acids such as citric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid and lactic acid. Fruit acids do not even deserve to be called acids. They taste very sour, but they have nothing in common with inorganic acids. Fruits rich in various fruit acids are the best sources of alkaline substances for our bodies.
Inorganic acids undergo a completely different metabolic process in our bodies than organic acids.
Organic acids almost always form carbon dioxide and water in the body. This series of reactions is called oxidation because it requires oxygen. It is also called combustion because heat is produced. The carbon dioxide formed is removed through exhalation.
The alkaline substances in fruit are released during oxidation. They neutralise (render ineffective) the inorganic acids in the body, which are formed, among other things, from protein-rich foods.
The transport of acids – where do acids go?
The term metabolism is often used when describing the body’s functions. Metabolism refers to all the processes that food undergoes in the digestive tract. Through the action of various digestive fluids, such as saliva, gastric juices, bile and intestinal fluid, nutrients are released from food for use as building materials, to maintain vital functions and to repair worn-out cell components. The substances used by the body are burned, or oxidised, during metabolism.
Cell breakdown products and acidic metabolic waste products are transported by the bloodstream to the organs where they are excreted: the kidneys, skin, lungs and intestines. Before this, they must first be rendered harmless with the help of bases.
Weak acids such as uric acid, citric acid and ascorbic acid can be eliminated directly in the urine (unless they are present in amounts greater than the kidneys can excrete). Metabolism also breaks them down into carbon dioxide and water.
Strong acids, on the other hand, are rarely eliminated from the body unchanged. The body must first neutralise them with alkaline substances. Ammonium, produced by the kidneys, is used for this purpose. It is a very powerful base.
After neutralisation, the neutral salts formed are eliminated from the body in the urine. However, the kidneys have a limited capacity to produce ammonium. Ammonium is formed from the amino acid glutamine as it breaks down.
The body's ability to produce ammonium is limited. Consequently, its neutralising capacity is also limited. If this capacity is exceeded by consuming large quantities of foods that produce acidic metabolic by-products, acidic substances begin to accumulate in the body.
Health and food – are acid stores a threat to health?
If the diet does not contain enough alkaline substances to neutralise acids, foods that produce acidic residues will gradually make the body acidic.
The adverse effects of excess acidity in the body generally produce no symptoms for a long time. Acids accumulate in the bloodstream for as long as possible. In his research, Austrian Professor Ebbinger concluded that by around the age of 35, the body of a person who eats a mixed diet has reached a point at which acidity can no longer increase. He called this condition blood rheumatism, a precursor to most metabolic diseases. Various metabolic diseases increase sharply among people over 40.
Biological medicine recognises numerous diseases that it considers to be caused specifically by prolonged acidity in the body. These include rheumatic diseases, age-related calcification diseases and connective tissue diseases.
Connective tissue must store and process excess acids that cannot leave the body normally. Excess acids also place a strain on the kidneys. Stomach ulcers are suspected to result from this increase in acidity, as is the loss of calcium from the skeleton (osteoporosis). Osteoporosis is now an extremely common disease, especially among women who have gone through menopause. The disease is almost invariably unknown among vegetarians. Excess acidity may be the cause of various aches and pains, degenerative diseases and metabolic disorders, such as various rheumatic conditions, liver, stomach, kidney and heart problems, as well as diabetes, high blood pressure, circulatory disorders and so on. Excess acidity in the body also damages the health of the teeth and gums, leading to tooth decay, loosening and loss of teeth, as well as swollen gums. Since all ordinary food produces more or less excess acid, it is not difficult to understand why a mixed diet is so strongly criticised, while an alkaline diet is considered excellent and health-promoting.
The practical challenge is to create a base-rich diet that meets all nutritional needs and neutralises the acidic substances produced.
It is worth noting that most doctors and physiologists are more familiar with acute disturbances of the acid–base balance. Research into chronic disturbances of the acid–base balance is difficult and, in some cases, impossible to carry out. For this reason, many aspects of the theory do not represent absolute scientific truth, but remain theoretical.
Which foods are acidic and which are alkaline?
The following form alkaline metabolic products:
- Most vegetables, berries and fruit produce alkaline metabolic by-products in the body, despite the acids they contain (fruit acids, which break down into water and carbon dioxide).
- It may be surprising that fruit with a very acidic taste, such as lemons, produces an alkaline reaction in the body.
- Foods rich in fruit acids may be too strong for people with rheumatism. Their ability to break down and metabolise fruit acids may be reduced, so their consumption of lemons and oranges should be limited.
Acidic metabolic products are formed by:
- Some vegetables are, exceptionally, acid-forming. These include Brussels sprouts, asparagus, peas, beans, lentils and soy. All grains, as well as meat and fish, also form acids. Grains, especially whole grains, can have an even stronger effect than meat. Grain products can be made “artificially” alkaline by adding alkaline minerals.
See also: Food acid–base values below.
Three acid-forming foods
The modern diet contains ingredients that pose a serious threat to the body’s health. Foods that do not themselves actually form acids but increase acidity, forcing the body to draw on its own alkaline reserves, are referred to as acid-forming foods.
The Robber Trio!
The most dangerous acid-forming substances are:
Calculations indicate that 97% of sugar has an acidifying effect on the body. At the beginning of the century, people in our country consumed a few grams of sugar a day; today the amount is over 100 grams a day. A substantial part of our daily energy requirement is met with pure sugar.
As a consumer of bases, wheat flour is in the same league as sugar. Sugar and white wheat flour together form a combination in which the effects and harmfulness of excess acidity are doubled.
Hardened and refined (processed) fats and oils are equally harmful: margarines and ordinary cooking oils. These three foodstuffs together form a veritable trio of villains from the body’s perspective. This also explains why the bodies of many vegans are just as acidic as those of meat-eaters, since vegans, too, do not eat a sufficiently wholesome and unprocessed diet.
Alkaline substances and nutrition
The opposite of acid-forming substances are base-forming or alkaline substances. These foods contain what are known as alkaline minerals and trace elements. They also include oxygen, which is involved in metabolism, and the minerals aluminium, iron, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, sodium, etc.
Calcium is the most important of the alkaline minerals. The harmful consequences of calcium deficiency have long been known. They include rickets, dental caries, and various other bone deformities and developmental disorders. Calcium deficiency may be caused either by a calcium-poor diet or by the body’s inability to make use of the calcium contained in food.
Bases differ from inorganic acids above all in that excess bases have no harmful effects. Bases are also called alkalis. For example, taking Valmarin solution does not pose a risk of excessive use.
What does an alkaline diet do?
When either raw or cooked alkaline-forming food is eaten, the urine begins to become more neutral. Since most people have very large amounts of acidic metabolic waste stored in their bodies, changes in the urine occur very slowly. It may take anywhere from a few months to as long as six months. During this time, a very large amount of alkaline-forming food must be eaten before the excess alkalinity becomes evident in the urine.
The easing of various types of pain is also directly linked to the body’s acid reserves. Pain eases and disappears as the alkaline surplus increases and acidic metabolic products decrease in the tissues.
Not all pain will disappear simply because the body is freed from acids, since chronic excess acidity may have damaged cell walls and impaired circulation, and alkalisation of the body does not reverse this. No comparable consequences are known to be caused by excess alkalinity in the body.
Is acid–base balance the same as mineral balance?
These are two different things, even though alkaline-forming food generally contains plenty of minerals and trace elements. A balanced and adequate intake of minerals goes hand in hand with alkaline-forming food (root vegetables, vegetables, berries and fruit).
Does the way food is prepared affect the acid–base balance?
Cooking methods do not affect the inorganic acids that have the strongest impact on the acid–base balance. Maintaining the balance requires that cooking or soaking water not be discarded. Soaking and cooking water contain alkaline substances. Acidic substances remain in the cooked food. For example, cooked vegetables whose cooking water is discarded create an excess of acids, even though the raw product produces an excess of alkaline substances.
Vegetables should never be boiled in salted water, as this causes them to lose their best nutritional quality—their ability to reduce the body’s acidity. An example meal could consist of, among other things, lightly boiled carrots, quark, various seasoning herbs, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
How does the method of cultivation affect acid–base balance?
Vegetables grown in poor soil and with the wrong fertilisers deteriorate in quality in many ways. The changes show up as lower nutritional value, reduced levels of vitamins and minerals, and an altered acid–base balance. Organically grown vegetables invariably contain more nutrients and are more alkaline than conventionally grown produce.
Therapeutic diets
In natural medicine, the right diet plays a central role in treating illnesses. In Germany, these diets are referred to as either "schonkost" or "heilkost". These diets differ from one another.
Schonkost refers to food that protects a diseased organ—the liver, stomach, kidneys, etc. The aim of the diet is to spare the diseased organ or part of the body. Clearly, a person with liver disease cannot be given a fat-free diet indefinitely, even if this would be best for liver function. The rest of the body cannot function for long without essential fats.
Heilkost refers to food that benefits a diseased organ while simultaneously increasing the vitality of the entire body. This holistic, health-promoting diet, represented by heilkost, meets both requirements of a proper diet. Most diets, even vegetarian ones, can cause a considerable excess of acids.
In the treatment of certain diseases, however, an alkaline diet is an essential aid to treatment. These diseases include rheumatism and other joint diseases, age-related calcification, stomach ulcers, kidney disorders, osteoporosis and oedema.
A plant-based diet as a weight-loss method
An acid-forming diet causes the body to retain fluid in the same way as salt. Since a vegetable-based diet contains little salt and, together with an excess of bases, helps remove fluid from the body, it can be recommended as a simple way to lose weight. A vegetable-based diet also provides relatively little energy.
How does fasting affect the acid–base balance?
The body’s entire metabolism changes considerably during fasting. The excretion of uric acid and other acids accelerates, for example, as fat tissue is broken down for energy. In theory, it can be assumed that the excretion of these acids prevents the excretion of stronger acids from the tissues. Since, during fasting, the kidneys do not have to deal with removing other waste products normally produced during metabolism, it is evident that the body’s ability to excrete acids is not exceeded. The scientific investigation of this is still ongoing.
According to current knowledge, drinking only water is not recommended during a fast, as the acidity of the tissue fluids and urine may then rise to very high levels under the influence of acids. Drinking various alkaline vegetable juices is considered healthier. They do not prevent the elimination of acids from the body, even during fasting. Valmarin also helps those who are fasting to maintain their balance.
Healing crisis
Removing acidic metabolic waste from the body is possible only by following a strict diet, usually under the supervision of a doctor or nutritional counsellor.
During the early stages of dietary treatment, a situation often arises that appears to indicate a worsening of the disease. For example, the pain experienced by rheumatism patients may increase considerably. This is known as a healing crisis. Overcoming it and continuing dietary treatment may require particular perseverance and strength of will from the patient.
A healing crisis can be alleviated with various physical treatments, which are started at the same time as the dietary change. Depending on the case, physical treatments may include various wraps, baths, water compresses, light therapy, electrotherapy and massage.
During a healing crisis, you should under no circumstances resort, for example, to painkillers or return to your former nutritionally deficient mixed diet. Although they may temporarily relieve pain, they cause the acidic metabolic products that have begun to move to accumulate again in their former locations, thereby slowly increasing the body’s acidity.
What are acid–base balance and tissue respiration?
Acid–base balance is the balance between acidic and alkaline conditions in the body. When food is burned, it is converted into acidic, alkaline or, at best, neutral combustion products. Most commonly, the body’s combustion waste is acidic, making the body more acidic than desired.
The body’s metabolism strives towards acid–base balance through tissue respiration. Tissue respiration, the fundamental process of life, is possible only when the tissue fluids are slightly alkaline. The human body is a chemical laboratory that maintains acid–base balance. When the blood becomes too acidic, the body has to sacrifice its minerals—calcium, potassium, sodium, iron and magnesium—to neutralise the acidity.
Our vital functions are maintained by an enzyme system
Enzymes are proteins; there are thousands of different kinds for different functions. They function only within a specific range of acidity. In this context, we use the term pH, defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen-ion concentration—an idea that is difficult for a layperson to understand.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. All values below 7 are acidic, and all values above 7 are alkaline. A value of 7 represents a neutral state—neither acidic nor alkaline. 0 is the most acidic and 14 the most alkaline. Stomach pH is 1–1.5. Very acidic. The optimal functional strength of the enzymes in our bodies is at pH 7–8, very close to neutral and within a very narrow range.
The body works hard to keep its acidity at the correct level under all circumstances. The acidity of arterial blood varies by only hundredths of pH units, between 7,35–7,45. This is the normal range, with only a narrow margin for movement in either the acidic or alkaline direction. If the pH falls by, for example, three-tenths of a unit (0,3), to 7,0, we are in mortal danger. The same applies if it rises above 7,8.
When it comes to the body's fluids, the situation is not straightforward. The body's fluids can be divided into intracellular and extracellular fluids and blood. Extracellular fluids make up the smaller volume of fluid.
Intracellular pH differs slightly from that of arterial blood; it has been difficult to measure. Based on current knowledge, blood pH remains almost constant thanks to the body's various buffer systems. Its hydrogen ion concentration is slightly on the alkaline side.
Most of the body’s fluids are intracellular fluid. Cell fluids are fairly acidic, with a pH of around 5. Intracellular properties are extremely difficult to study, and the pH value is also only approximate.
The body can maintain its acid–base balance under changing conditions with the help of many different factors
Many metabolic processes constantly seek to alter this balance. The body has protective substances known as buffers. The most important is the haemoglobin in red blood cells, in which hydrogen may be either free or bound. When an acidic substance containing free hydrogen enters the body, the buffer system can bind the excess hydrogen to haemoglobin, thereby reducing the amount of hydrogen ions in the blood. Valmarin helps the body maintain the correct acid–base balance.
Terms relating to acid–base balance disorders
Acidosis means excessive acidity and occurs in two forms. Metabolic acidosis can arise, for example, in untreated diabetes. Kidney disease can also cause acidosis through various mechanisms. During physical exertion, very high lactic acid production can initially lead to acidosis even in a healthy person, although the body can quickly correct it through other mechanisms. Similar disturbances occur during starvation. The second form of acidosis is so-called respiratory acidosis, which is associated with breathing.
The opposite condition, alkalosis, or excessive alkalinity, also occurs in two forms. Metabolic alkalosis occurs in certain disorders of liver and kidney function.
The body's pH levels
Blood: Experts believe that healthy human blood should be alkaline rather than acidic. Normal arterial blood acidity varies by only hundredths of a pH unit, between 7.35 and 7.45. It is more alkaline than our cellular fluids.
Cellular fluids are fairly acidic. Their pH is about 5.
The pH of the stomach is 1–1,5, meaning it is highly acidic.
Which foods reduce the body’s acidity, and which increase it?
Diet has the greatest influence on the body’s acid–base balance. For the body to function normally, it needs both acid-forming and alkaline foods in the right proportions. Our daily diet should contain seven times more alkaline-forming foods than acid-forming foods.
Not all foods that taste sour increase the body’s acidity. Citrus fruits, for example, produce base.
Acidity reducers:
- Quickly metabolised foods—vegetables, fruit, root vegetables and berries—produce alkaline substances (with the exception of lingonberries). They soothe, cleanse and nourish the body.
Increase acidity:
- Slow-burning foods: all foods containing animal or plant protein, as well as grain products. The body uses minerals to restore balance.
Alkaline thieves:
- Foods that are neutral when burned but strongly deplete the body’s alkaline reserves once consumed—so-called alkaline thieves—include refined sugar, refined white wheat and hydrogenated fats.
Acid–base balance by food group
When burned in the body, foods produce either acidic, alkaline or, at best, neutral combustion products, which are eliminated from the body in various ways through its vital functions. Acidic combustion products slow down metabolism, while alkaline ones speed it up. The combustion residues of a typical diet and, for example, ready-made foods are acidic.
- = foods that produce ACID as a combustion product
+ = producing ALKALINE substances as combustion products
0 = the combustion product neither increases nor decreases acidity
When burned in the body, 100 g of the food in question produces the amount of alkali/acid shown in the table compared with neutral.
Cereal products
corn and corn flour - 6
wheat and starch - 6
wheat flour - 8
corn, hulled - 14
rye, ground - 16
rye, grain - 17
barley, groats - 20
oats, flakes - 22
oats, flour - 33
wheat, ground - 38
wheat bran - 39
rice, unhulled – 51.
Vegetables and root vegetables
cucumber, seedless + 31
coleslaw + 14
tomato, seedless + 14
celery, pale stalk + 11
carrot + 10
endive salad + 9
spinach + 9
leek + 9
chives + 9
cabbages + 5
potato, peeled + 5
onion, yellow + 3
melon, seedless + 2
asparagus + 1
sugar snap peas 0
globe artichoke - 4
beans, green, pods - 4
peas, mature yellow - 4
beans, brown - 8
Brussels sprouts - 9
bean (bond) - 10
soya bean, yellow - 10
asparagus tips - 14.
Breads
rye bread - 6
rye crispbread - 9
yeast bread - 11
rye bread, wholegrain – 22.
Berries and fruit
fig, dried + 26
raisins + 16
rosehip, dried + 15
mandarin + 12
orange + 10
lemon + 10
cloudberry + 9
grapes + 7
date, dried + 7
banana + 7
blackberry + 7
plum + 6
peach + 5
apricot + 5
raspberry + 5
bilberry + 4
pineapple + 4
currants + 4
pear + 3
apple + 3
cherry + 3
strawberry + 2
cranberry + 2
bog bilberry + 2
lingonberry – 6.
Nuts
sweet almond - 1hazelnut - 1boiled coconut - 4walnut - 8Brazil nut - 10peanut - 15
Dairy products
milk + 4
whey + 4
butter, salted - 6
cheese, low-fat - 14
hard cheese - 17.
Meat, fish, egg
egg, boiled - 23
meat, all - 10 - - 24
fish, all - 10 - - 19.
Other
mushrooms, caps + 3
margarine, salted - 1
olive oil - 6.